Republicans never made it out of Toddler stage

Since President Obama took office, the republicons made a determination that they would vote no on any legislation placed in front of them during session. This includes any bills that were sponsored by republicons in the past, such as the bill that gave tax breaks to small businesses(jobs bill), would open up loans to small businesses by giving local banks access to funds(unlike Bush's TARP bill which only helped large global banks). But many bills that assist middle and working class, besides veterans have been dashed and then the 'cons go on TV, screaming about "the deficit" or how the Dems are a "do-nothing congress". Well, lets see about the Dem's bills:

Senator Franken’s Anti-Rape Amendment to the Defense Appropriations Bill - Makes it so that women raped overseas while working for foreign contractors have the right to have their case heard in an American court instead of having their case mediated by the company they work for.Only Republican men voted against this, but it passed. So, rape is just fine as long as XE(Blackwater renamed), Haliburton and other republicon contributors aren't affected by silly little laws.

Benefits for Homeless Veterans- Would have expanded benefits to homeless veterans and homeless veterans with children. Republicans blocked this. Well, these cannon fodders made it back--and we're supposed to support them NOW?!?!!?  Just cuz they fought a way for this country???? How silly.

Health Care- Prevents insurance companies from discriminating against you on the basis of "pre-existing conditions". Requires that insurance companies spend 85 cents of every dollar that you pay on your actual health care. Limits health insurance companies profit margins.Republicans blocked this for months before it finally passed. Oh, I know, I know--its just horrible that this bill addresses the doughnut hole that insurers have been raping seniors since the republicons kept that bill open until 3 a.m. to get enough votes, addresses Medicare fraud and republicon friends and contributors will have to be legal to get funds...and this also keeps Medicare solvent for an extra 9 years, without changing any other laws, but its horrible that Americans will have to have health insurance like every other industrialized nation.

Health Care for the 9/11 First Responders who got sick from being at Ground Zero- Would provide billions of dollars in health care to help the 9/11 First Responders who were at Ground Zero on 9/11 and are now sick because of it. Republicans blocked this. You know, its ok to use the 9/11 first responders to keep people scared enough to vote against their best interest....and vote republicon--be skeered! be skeered! Vote us in so we can bomb the rest of the world(and line our pockets with millions while doing it).

The Jobs Bill- Offsets the payroll tax for 1 year for companies that higher new employees, or people receiving unemployment insurance. Also gives other tax incentives to companies hiring new employees. Republicans attempted to block this. Its a bad idea to give tax incentives to hire people....the middle class may come back and we need them poor and stupid!!!!

Small business lending bill- would give LOCAL, community banks access to billions of dollars to loan to small businesses. Republicans blocked this.

Financial reform- Puts stricter regulations on the banks, preventing them from becoming "too big to fail". Curbs reckless spending practices that caused the banking crisis. Republicans attempted to block this.
Why should we regulate banks? They've been doing just fine and if we make them pay attention to laws(like the rest of us have to), they might not be able to line our campaign funds as much! It would be horrible if our banksters didn't make 400 times as much as their employees, unlike other industrialized countries(think Europe, Japan) whose CEO's only make....oh.....40 times what the employees make.

Stimulus Bill- Pumped billions of dollars into state and local Governments to prevent us from sinking into a second Great Depression. Republicans opposed this but now want to take credit for the parts of it that we know are successful.

Oil Spill Liability- Raises the liability on what companies can be made to pay to clean up after an oil spill. Republicans blocked this. Cuz, why again would we want to hold Oil companies liable for their poor performance? Their bad decisions?

Political Ad disclosure bill- Would have required all donors to political campaigns to reveal themselves. Republicans blocked this. Again, why would we want the public to know who is funding the negative ads? I don't think it'd make too much of a difference, because Americans, in general, don't actually research the lies, but it'd still be nice for us thinking people to know where the money's coming from and, it would be up-front--what's wrong with being honest? Oh. yeah. That'd mean when The Chamber of Commerce or one of Rove's or Army's fronts, they'd have to admit their lies.

Immigration- Republican suggested comprehensive immigration reform until Obama supported it. Now they're rabidly opposed to it and even voted against their own legislation. Republicans blocked this. Remember, King Ronnie was the amnesty giant...and he also changed the laws to make it easier for businesses not to be charged with hiring undocumented workers.

Unemployment Extension- Would provide additional aid to the millions of Americans still on unemployment who are just trying to support themselves and their familes. Republicans blocked this bill for 8 weeks before it finally passed. Republicans blocked this for 8 weeks before it finally passed.

This is just horrendous that people feel its ok to let others lose so much due to the Bush Recession--and the business deals that allowed CA. candidate Fiorina and MI candidate Snyder to outsource tens of thousands of hi-tech American jobs to China.

Fair Pay Act of 2009- Also called the Lily Ledbetter bill. Requires that women receive equal compensation to men for doing the same work. Republicans attempted to block this.

So, the next time someone tells you that the Republicans care about the American people, give them this list of all the bills Republicans voted against, most of which assist middle class -- and we're the ones that have been hurt the most.

http://www.facebook.com/republicansareidiots

How Seniors benefit from the New Health Care Law

From the Ohio Alliance for Retired Amercians:

As the above says, this is how that evul health care plan is going to hurt seniors....

Reduces drug costs by phasing out Shrub's doughnut hole:
Provides a $250 rebate in 2010 for seniors who fall in donut hole. Next year, seniors receive a 50% discount on perscription drugs when stuck in donut hole and by 2020, it will be eliminated.

Covers Preventive Services:
Next year, seniors who participate in Medicare will receive annual check ups. This law also eliminates co-pays/cost-sharing for mammograms, colonoscopies and other preventive screenings.

Supports Early Retiree Coverage:
Provides financial assistance to employer helath plans that cover early retirees, bringing down health costs and premiums by as much as $1200 per family, per year in some plans.

Encourages Doctors to coordinate care and improve quality:
Creates incentives for providers to work together to better serve patients and reduce wasteful care like repeated tests.

Removes Obstacles to Changing Part D Plan:
Allows Part D enrollees to make a mid-year change in their enrollment if current plan unexpectedly changes the plan and makes them pay a higher cost in perscriptions.

Significantly lowers Cost for Struggling Seniors:
Expands the Medicare Part D low-income subsidy, which will dramatically help struggling seniors afford their health care costs.

Enacts CLASS Act creating a anew option for long-term assistance for seniors and the disabled:
Creates a new, voluntary self-insured insurance program to help families pay for the costs of long-term supports and services if a loved one develops a disability. Also creates new options for states to provide home and community based services in Medicaid, enabling more people with disabilities to access long-term services in the setting in which they choose.

Enacts the Elder Justice Act:
Authorizes new criminal background checks on long-term care workers who have access to residents or patients and requires greater transparency of nursing homes, including public disclosure of the entities that own, govern, operate and profit from nursing homes. The law also requires better information about the quality of nursing care and improves complaint process.

Saves Medicare funds:
By eliminating wasteful over-payments to Medicare Advantage p[lans and by creating new incentives for coordinated high quality care across the health care spectrum, the law extends the solvency of the Medicare Trust Fund by 9 years and improves Medicare for generations to come.

Antitrust suits are BACK in Fashion, Thank you Pres. Obama

During the last "regime", antitrust suits were just this side of extinct. Bush & Co. felt that monopolies were good for the consumer, business would never ever ever do anything that was bad for the country....look at Enron--it was a good thing. Well, we now have a democratic President and a return to the laws of the country. President Obama’s top antitrust official, Christine Varney, along with some Democratic leaders, are beginning to reduce a number of industries, including airline and railroad giants.
The New York Times reported that Antitrust suits might be back in fashion. Ms. Varney is the antitrust chief at the Justice Department, and began inspecting complaints by Verizon and AT&T that their competitors, major cable operators, are blocking their ability to purchase sports shows and other programs that the companies produce, although I find it kind of ironic that AT&T is filing anti-trust suits. She is also examining how large agribusiness is restraining small farms from being able to compete in the market, partially due to Senator Bernie Sanders bringing this problem into the view of the justice department.
Ms. Varney is also taking on drug companies that have inside agreements between companies not to market more generic drugs. Both the FTC and consumer groups have wanted these agreements examined under anti-trust laws. Although Ms. Varney is supported by the White House and some democratic legislatures, others are not as pleased with her.
Repbulicans have always voted in the favor of business...and that means more money for those campaign war chests. Democrats have spent a lot of time and effort to get some of those campaign funds for themselves, only to worry that these policy changes of an aggressive antitrust enforcement, could hurt their chances at the corporate money changers.
But, also, some of the administration officials see this as coming at a bad time due to the economic climate. Others actually agree with Bush & Co. and think that larger companies provide consumer benefits and healthier, leaner companies.
The White House also discussed an effort to overhaul financial regulation, but at this time, have decided against using antitrust legislation to reduce the size of corporations that are "too big to fail".
“The struggles between the expert agencies and the Justice Department get to the heart and soul of exactly what the competition policy of the Obama administration will be,” said Mark Cooper, an antitrust expert and director of research at the Consumer Federation of America, an advocacy group.
He added: “Now you have an antitrust division that cares about competition, and it is running up against the expert agencies that haven’t changed their attitudes yet.”
Ms. Varney was in private practice for over 10 years, but was tapped to be on President Obama's transition team. Her background is in internet law. Varney was a Cabinet Secretary under President Clinton and he later appointed her to the Federal Trade Commission where she served for 3 years. She left the FTC and started an internet law division at a Washington, D.C. firm, Hogan and Harston.
She has pushed for regulations to protect consumer privacy over the internet and argued against legislation that would have made it more difficult for companies to go to arbitration with consumers. She was a registered lobbyist for the Online Privacy Alliance until 2006.
Another area that the division is opening inquiries into are the wireless phone industries; deciding wherther or not it is legal for phone makers to offer a specific model to only one carrier(such as the iPhone or Palm Pre). It is exploring the rapid increase in text-messaging rates at several phone companies and also investigating obstacles imposed by the phone companies on low-price rivals like Skype.
I think its about damn time that our government gets back to governing for the "natural" citizen instead of the artificial person of the corporations. As these corporations became "more efficient" by outsourcing American jobs, moving the proverbial mail box to the Camen Islands( or UAE for Haliburton) to sleaze out of paying taxes for the use of our commons, finding ways out of paying for polluting the environment and trying to destroy the Amercian middle class, its about time we start reining these criminals in!
Good Luck and Good Hunting Christine Varney!